Write a better blog post

By Alyson Stanfield on 10.13.08

Someone–perhaps I–told you to get a blog. And you did it. Now, you aren’t feeling the love. Your traffic is almost nonexistent, and your posts are boring even you. If you’re intent on building traffic for your blog, here are some tips for you.

1. Write with respect for your readers.
You can write anything you want in your private journal, but if you want traffic to your blog, you can’t forget your readers (or potential readers!). If you want to write about what you had for breakfast, make it the best darned post about breakfast food in the history of posts about breakfast food.

In my experience, people spend time on blogs and Web sites for one of three reasons. They want to be (1) informed (2) entertained, or (3) inspired. Cross-check each post against this list to ensure you’re hitting one of these reasons.

2. Write with authenticity.
Readers can tell when you’re out of your element–and you can tell, too. You struggle with words when you’re trying to write about something for which you have little enthusiasm. Write about what matters most to you and draw us in with your passion for the topic.

3. Write in depth.
“Surface blogging” is just yammering about your day, your studio, your art. It’s blogging to fill up space. It’s blogging because someone–perhaps I–told you that you needed to post to your blog twice a week and you can think of little to say. Surface blogging is all about your ego, not about your reader. To get beyond surface blogging, take one sentence and make an entire post out of it. Explore your subjects in depth.

4. Write with repetition.
Just because you’ve already said something once doesn’t mean you shouldn’t say it again. If it’s important enough, you can repeat it as often as you think necessary. As your blog matures, your readership will turn over so you’ll constantly have new readers (who rarely dig into your archives).

5. Write with illustrations.
Don’t forget to post images of your art and images that help illustrate your topic. We like pictures and we want to see more of your work. Got video? Post it to your blog, too!

Related: See the chapter titled “Amplify Your Online Presence” in I’d Rather Be in the Studio!KNOW THIS———-~> Just because you write it doesn’t mean people will read it.

THINK ABOUT THIS—~> Do you want more traffic to your blog?

DO THIS————~> Write a better blog post. Above all, honor your readers by remembering them. It’s so easy to get caught up in the Gotta Post mode and forget your readers. You can write for yourself anytime. But when you put it online and expect traffic, you can’t forget about the people on the other end.

Got tips for writing a better blog post? What artist-bloggers do you follow? Share with us and listen to the podcast on the Art Biz Blog